Speeches

Good morning. Thank you for having me and thank you for hosting one of our Listening and Learning events. We embarked on this tour to hear from people in classrooms and schools—people who are facing educational challenges and finding solutions.

Thank you so much. I'm really pleased to be here, and I will be pretty brief, I know I'm the warm up for Kareem. I want to thank you all for your collective efforts and thinking about doing business differently. And it has just been amazing to me as we have gotten started here, this idea of collaboration, how critically important it is for everything that we do.

I am continually struck by the profound wisdom
underlying the American political experiment. The
genius of our system is that much of the power to
shape our future has, wisely, been distributed to the
states instead of being confined to Washington.

Our best ideas have always come from state and
local governments, which are the real hothouses of
innovation in America.

Good morning Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon and distinguished members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the topic of Building on What Works at Charter Schools. Improving our education system is one of this Administration's highest priorities. Our goal is to improve education at every level for all students.

Thank you for this opportunity to testify on behalf of President Obama's fiscal year 2010 budget for the Department of Education, and to talk with you about how together we can lay the foundation for a generation of reform that can restore American leadership in education.

Thank you Chairman Miller, Representative McKeon, and all the members of the committee for the invitation to be here today. It is my pleasure to share with you President Obama's plan for American education. It is a comprehensive plan that meets the educational needs of our youngest citizens from cradle to career.